A Fans' chief has warned England supporters of the risks in travelling to England's crunch European Championship qualifier in Turkey next month.

Tyneside based Kevin Miles, who is international co-ordinator with the Football Supporters Federation, has recently returned from a three day fact finding mission to the Turkish capital Istanbul.

The Football Association has refused its allocation of tickets for the clash on October 11 and advised fans to stay away fearing that violence will erupt between rival fans.

Dozens of arrests were made following ugly scenes at the England-Turkey clash at Sunderland's Stadium of Light in April in which England fans were accused of racist abuse and clashed with police outside the ground.

Mr Miles told The Northern Echo he been assessing the risks for English fans and seeing how easy it would be to buy black market tickets. He said he was advised by police that there would be three cordons around the ground to prevent entry to the stadium whilst ticket and ID checks would also take place.

Mr Miles said: "I don't think buying a ticket will be problematic, but what will be more problematic will be getting into the ground.

"The difficulty is that a lot of experienced travellers know that what is promised by police and the authorities does not always materialise."

He added: "Istanbul is usually a lovely place to visit, but it will be a hostile place that weekend.

"There will be a serious risk to the personal safety of England fans because of the history and tensions that are clearly present."

Mr Miles warned there was a culture of weapon carrying among some sections of Turkish society, including knives, and claimed it would be unwise for British fans to rely on the police coming to their rescue in the event of any trouble.

The Football Supporters Federation expects to have representatives at Istanbul airport to advise any English fans who do arrive.

Said Mr Miles: "It is inevitable that some English fans will travel, there are a number that have already booked their accommodation and flights well in advance."